Times Up
by jacklavigne
Summary: There was no clock ticking and this wouldn't end, Piper didn't want this to end, it was just her over imaginative mind playing tricks on her again, right? Right? Tick, tick, tick.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Yep, I have another one for you guys, though it will not be a long term story. This story right here is set in the beginning of Alex and Piper's relationship, and will be split into four seperate parts, from the moment they meet to their last days together. It is rated M for sex scenes between two women, some violence and very bad language, you have been warned. _

_As you will read below, the story starts with Alex's point of view, and then switches to Piper's in the next part, where the scene breaks off, and this will continue throughout the story, so we can see both women's feelings evolve, etc, etc. I've always wanted to write about when these two first met and onwards, but I decided to wait until after the second season came out, because I wanted more information on their past relationship together. _

_I hope you all enjoy it, and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading._

**Times Up**

"This isn't what I had in mind when you asked me to escape the apocalypse with you." The soft voice whispered in her ear, a mixture of lust and confidence; something Alex hadn't expected from the blonde. Piper's voice was several octaves lower than it had been all night, but easily heard over the music, since all of Alex's focus was on the feeling of Piper's lips brushing against her earlobe.

"No?" The dark haired woman smirked in response, tilting her head slightly to the side so she could look into those bright blue eyes, and god, were they on fire? "What did you expect, my dear? London? Paris? I could take you there."

They were so close, pressed up against each other on the dance floor, with hands roaming sensually over each other's bodies. One of Piper's palms was hot against the nape of Alex's neck, pulling them even closer until their lips were almost touching and Alex was tempted, so tempted to close the distance. But she was more curious to see how far the blonde would take this, to see if she wanted to take this anywhere at all. It had been hours since they left the bar that Alex frequented with her friends, and Alex had found herself enthralled by the blonde at every turn. She had taken her for a stuck up WASP, more for work than for play, but Alex was beginning to find that Piper wasn't what she expected at all. This woman that was sliding her hands underneath the hem of her shirt and grinding against her thigh, was definitely not the debutante she seemed to be.

She thought that she had the blonde wrapped around her fingers from the moment she met her, all wide eyed and innocent, but the tables had slowly turned as the night grew later. A few margaritas turned the blonde from a shy, almost demure, conventional girl, into a flirtatious little tease that had Alex's blood burning with only a few well placed, _not_ so innocent touches. Enjoying the chance to relinquish the control she usually held so tightly, Alex let Piper play her little game, knowing the danger she was walking into and finding herself completely willing.

Especially since her plan was to let the blonde think she was the one in control, only for Alex to take it back bit by bit, until the girl was a shaking mess beneath her hands and lips.

"I don't give a _fuck _about Paris," Piper's lips caressed Alex's with every word, and the dark haired woman bit back a groan at the much too light touch. "I was thinking more along the lines of your place or mine?"

The groan escaped between her clenched teeth as the blonde dragged her nails down Alex's abdomen, fanning the fire that was already burning in the pit of her stomach. It was too much, after resisting temptation all night, not to mention the ridiculous chemistry that had been building between them since the moment their eyes met across the room at the bar, it was just too much.

She didn't know who moved first, but the next moment it was all crashing lips and teeth, a desperate fight for dominance in the middle of a sea of oblivious people. Fingers tangled themselves in her long dark hair, gripping and pulling until it almost hurt, but the pleasure of Piper's lips against hers overwhelmed the pain. With her hands held firmly on the blondes waist, Alex pushed her thigh harder against the girls crotch and inhaled Piper's gasp with satisfaction, along with the control she had let slip during the night. They moved easily against each other, like a well-oiled machine, as if they'd been doing it for years, as Alex's hands found every spot that made the blonde moan and gasp.

But it wasn't enough, the feeling of Piper's jeans grinding against Alex's thigh and the dark haired woman's hands on her bra clad breasts beneath her shirt. She wanted more and she wanted it _now_.

Pulling herself away with the utmost reluctance, Alex gripped the blonde's hand tightly in her own and pulled her through the swaying crowd of bodies. Her green eyes darted frantically around the room until she found what she was looking for, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she pushed open the thankfully empty bathroom door.

"Alex, I-" The blonde's next words went unheard as Alex pushed her against the tightly locked door, tearing a gasp from her throat which Alex promptly swallowed. Piper's hesitance to fuck in a dimly lit bathroom vanished within seconds, as her hands once again began pulling at the raven haired woman's hair and clothes with an urgency that drove Alex wild.

Impatience once again overwhelmed her, when Alex's normally sure hands shook as they tried to unbutton the blonde's jeans. With a growl, she yanked them roughly down Piper's toned legs, just wanting to be closer, to be inside her, just wanting _more _of her. If she hadn't been half out of her mind with lust, these thoughts might have scared Alex, but as it was, all she could focus on was the smooth skin beneath her hands and the hot mouth that was sucking on her neck.

"Please." Piper was whimpering as Alex groped her soft breast roughly, pressing her thigh against her burning core. "I- Alex- _fuck._"

One lone finger, sliding from her ass to her clit, took Piper's breath away, as Alex briefly leant back from her feast on the blonde's neck to watch those beautiful blue eyes roll back into her head. And God, she was _wet, _as Alex lightly traced the blonde's clit with her finger, flicking the hard nub and watching the girl's body tremor in response. Gone was the debutante and gone was the flirtatious tease, to be replaced with this shaking mass of beautiful flesh that Alex found she liked much better than any of the masks the blonde had worn so far tonight.

"Fuck," the word fell from Alex's lips this time as she slowly pushed one finger inside of the blonde, feeling her walls immediately clench around the digit. She buried her face in Piper's neck as the younger woman gripped the back of her head, her fingers clenching tighter on her hair with every push and thrust. Lifting one of the blonde's legs around her waist, Alex added another finger to her cunt, and then a third, pushing deeply inside of her with the extra weight of her thigh behind her thrusts.

And _fuck_, she was getting so deep; had she ever been so deep inside another woman before? She could feel the vibrations of Piper's moans against her ear as she kept up her slow pace, not wanting to rush this, and even more, not wanting it to end. But Piper's thigh was wrapping tighter and tighter around her waist, and her moans were becoming louder, with a shaky tinge, and if it was going to end, it wouldn't be like this.

Tensing her arm muscles, she thrust her fingers into the other woman, hard enough to make sure she'd remember this when she woke up in the morning. Piper's voice cracked as she cried out, thrusting her hips in perfect rhythm with Alex's hand as she increased the strength and speed of her thrusts. She could feel the blonde begin to tighten around her fingers and pushed harder and faster, with the palm of her hand crushing the blonde's swelling clit with every thrust.

Tangling her fingers in blonde locks, Alex pulled Piper's head back and crushed their lips together as she curled her fingers into the spongy tissue deep inside of the blonde. Piper's body arched when she finally exploded, pushing their sweaty bodies impossibly closer together, with her cries being swallowed greedily by Alex's mouth.

And fuck, it was glorious, feeling the blonde's body spasm from the inside out as she completely fell apart in the dark haired woman's arms. And Alex decided then that she liked this Piper the most, this Piper with her bruised lips and passion filled eyes, who clung to her as if she was the blonde's only safe port in the middle of an angry ocean.

"Fuck," Piper's voice was a bare echo of what it had been earlier in the night, shaky and hoarse in the nape of Alex's neck. "You are an overachiever, aren't you?"

"Hm?" Alex murmured, her lips caressing the blonde's neck, tasting salt and the sweet flavor of Piper's skin. "What do you mean?"

"You said London or Paris, but you must have taken me to outer space, because I swear I just saw _stars._"

"Wow, kid, that has to be the corniest post sex line that I have ever heard."

**/**

The music was blaring, so loud that even the glasses on the coffee table were shaking with the beat. The room smelt like a mixture of smoke and sweat, and Piper suddenly found herself needing fresh air, as she was crushed between a man and a woman in the middle of the makeshift dance floor. With a flirtatious smile, she slid out from behind the smoky eyed woman and pushed passed the masses of bodies that blocked her escape route to the back door. With a hard push on the door and a deep inhale of air, she felt her heart slowly return to its normal cadence as the sweat begun to dry on her body, and immediately felt relieved.

There were fewer people outside, and after a quick scan of the faces she could see, she assumed that her best friend, Polly, was still lost somewhere inside the house. They had parted ways less than an hour after their arrival to the party, since after downing a few tequila shots, Piper felt the indescribable need to dance while Polly felt the unattractive need to start sucking face with the first guy who showed an interest in her.

She leant against the porch railing, waving off the offer of a cigarette from a man standing nearby, and was about to go in search of more alcohol when a warm presence stepped up beside her.

"Hello, stranger," the husky voice was familiar, bringing with it the memory of bar, a joke of a resume, and a ridiculously attractive woman that had teased her in the sexiest of ways. Teasing words which turned into teasing touches, which later in the night, hadn't been so teasing at all.

"Are you stalking me?" The blonde joked as she turned around to face said attractive woman, with the talented hands and skin burning lips. "This is the third time I've seen you now, in the most unexpected of places."

"Well, what's a girl to do when she gives another girl her number, and the girl promises to call but never does?" a dark eyebrow rises in response. "Plus, I wouldn't call a bar, a Starbucks and a party 'unexpected places', Piper Chapman."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you thought you were," Piper said teasingly, since the words were a complete and utter lie, as the sex had been better than good. Mind blowing, in fact. "You need to learn how to deal with rejection, Alex Vause; this obsession with me can't be good for your health."

"Do you know what would be good for my health?" Alex murmured huskily as she reached out and tangled her fingers in the blonde hair that was shielding Piper's face.

"What?" The blonde asked breathlessly in response, swallowing heavily as Alex face loomed closer to her own.

"Taking you home."

Piper bit her lip as her gaze flitted between Alex's smoky green eyes and her lips, and she resisted the smile that threatened to take over her face. "I don't think I'm ready to leave yet. I'm really enjoying this party."

"Is that so?" Alex chuckled softly, her breath brushing against Piper's lips as she tugged at a strand of her blonde hair. "Well, in that case."

Piper blinked in surprise as Alex suddenly pulled back, turning around to rummage on one of the tables behind them before facing the blonde with a triumphant look. Piper watched her bemusedly as she grasped the younger woman's hand, taking off the sharpie pen lid with her teeth before scrawling her number across Piper's palm.

"Really?" The blonde laughed as she felt the pen tickle her skin. "This is so fourth grade, Vause!"

"Yeah, well, this shit doesn't wash off easy, and every time you look at your hand, you're going to think of me." Piper swallowed, feeling her throat go dry as Alex caressed her palm with her thumb, her green eyes staring intensely into blue. "Every time you look at your hand, the urge to call me is going to get stronger and stronger, and eventually, you'll give in. I'll be waiting for your call, Piper Chapman."

Alex's smug, confident smirk irked her, as it had on their previous meetings, and Piper called out to her turned back with as much bravado as she could muster as the dark haired woman began to walk away. "I'm not still going to call you!"

Alex's raspy, sexy as fuck, chuckle was the only response Piper received, and she huffed in frustration before turning back into the house, promising herself that she would scrub the number off in the shower later.

Three days later, Piper dialed Alex's number.

That phone call led to coffee, which turned into a few shots of tequila, which evolved quickly into a heavy make out session in the back of a cab on the way to Alex's apartment.

"Oh _fuck,_" Piper felt her back arching uncontrollably as her blue eyes grew wide, while her fingers white knuckled the pillow beneath her head. _God, who knew someone could do that with their tongue? _"Fuck!"

She could feel her legs beginning to shake as her clit was sucked into a hot, hot mouth, and scraped gently with sharp teeth. It was the first time that Piper had ever felt the dark haired woman's lips and tongue on her, _inside her_, and it was well worth the smugness the brunette had been displaying ever since she had called.

With one hard swipe of that glorious tongue, followed by the feeling of being sucked hard into Alex's mouth, Piper felt herself come undone. Her fingers gripped the bed sheets as she shuddered, with that tongue dragging out every last wave of pleasure until she relaxed bonelessly onto the feather soft mattress. She smiled lazily as she felt warm lips trace a path up her abdomen, until a dark head appeared, along with a cocky smile that Piper found herself growing extremely fond of.

"Horrible, wasn't it?"

"The worst," the words were barely a breathy gasp, followed by a kiss that was already making her consider round two. "You're really bad at that." Tasting herself of the brunette's lips made her suddenly curious to know how Alex tasted, everywhere. "Can I do you?"

The chuckle that escaped the dark haired woman's lips was amused. "You don't have to ask."

"I've never really..." Piper let the sentence trail off as Alex slipped off her body, propping herself up on her elbow beside her. The dark haired woman's eyes widened in disbelief, and glittered with amusement.

"Gone down on a woman before?" Alex sounded genuinely surprised, which wasn't so surprising to Piper, since she'd left out the fact that while she had always admired women; it had been from a distance until Alex came along.

"I mean... no." She smiled and gently caressed the other woman's face as Alex chuckled.

"What kind of lesbian are you?"

"The boob touching kind," Piper responded easily as Alex's hand ran over her breasts, with her palms dragging over her hard nipples and sending a shock straight to her core.

"All right, well, are you ready to take the plunge?" Alex's eyes were practically twinkling now, with both amusement and desire as she smiled playfully at the blonde. "So to speak."

"Are you going to coach me through it?"

"Yeah." Their lips met again, for what must have been the thousandth time this night, as Piper found it impossible not to kiss Alex every time the dark haired woman was within reach. The kiss was broken briefly by the sound of Alex's phone ringing, and Piper smiled as the brunette groaned and reluctantly pulled away.

"Shit," the brunette's face was momentarily tense as she stared at the screen of her phone. "What time is it in Amsterdam?"

"I have no idea," the blonde replied as she stroked the woman's dark hair, finding it difficult in this moment to care about anything else outside of this bed.

"Okay, give me a second," the brunette leant down quickly to press a kiss to her lips, which the blonde lengthened before reluctantly letting her go. "I'm sorry, it's business. I'll be right back. Do you want a glass of water?"

"Is that a part of it?" The blonde asked curiously as she listened to Alex's footsteps retreat from the room, a small smile slowly curling her lips. "Hydration?"

With her body still tingling from their recent activities, Piper let herself relax into the mattress as she listened to Alex move around the kitchen. A smile was playing her lips at this surprising turn of events, of actually being in the dark haired woman's house for the first time. She hadn't seen their encounter at the bar as more than a one night stand, but since she had started to see the mysterious woman more and more, she couldn't help but find herself curious about Alex. The woman was admittedly one of the most attractive people Piper had ever met, and while Alex had an uncanny habit of frustrating the blonde to no end, Piper found herself taking an interest in the dark haired woman when she knew she probably shouldn't.

She leant over the side of the bed to look curiously at some of Alex's knick knacks, hoping to get an idea of who this woman was, when she felt eyes watching her from the door. She looked up, expecting Alex, only to find the dark, menacing form of someone standing in the doorway, and a feeling of foreboding crept swiftly up her spine. "What th-"

She barely had time to pull the sheets over her chest before the mysterious person was racing into the room and launching themselves over the bottom of the bed to reach her. "Alex!"

A body straddled her hips, and barely a moment later, pain exploded along her cheek bone as a fist collided with the side of her face. In between her panic and complete shock, she barely had time to react as her body was being pulled from the bed and onto the floor, to once again be straddled by this stranger. Piper raised her hands in defense, an automatic gesture as the woman's hands, and Piper had noticed that it was definitely a woman, dug into her shoulders painfully.

"Jesus, what the fuck?" That blessedly low and husky voice echoed in her ears, laced with confusion and anger. "Stop! Sylvie! Stop it, Sylvie! Shit."

"Bitch!" The word echoed in her ears as the deranged woman was pulled off of her, and strong, warm hands were helping her up off the floor. With one hand holding her hot cheek and the other gripping the sheets to her chest, Piper looked up at Alex with a mixture of shock and anger.

"She attacked me!" Piper turned her head to look at the stranger, who swiped her hood off her head with one swift, angry movement, to reveal a woman not much older than herself.

"Are you fucking kidding?" The woman named Sylvie snarled as she moved towards her again, only to be stopped by Alex pushing her back, much too gently for Piper's liking.

"Stop. Piper," the dark haired woman turned to face her, concern written all over her face, along with something else Piper couldn't identify in her current state. Her mind was in turmoil over the sudden attack, and she was becoming more and more bewildered with every second that passed, due to Alex's uncharacteristically awkward appearance and the strange woman's irrational anger. Why was this bitch so pissed off at Piper, when she was the one who attacked _her_?

"She just broke in here," The blonde stated, thoroughly confused as she looked back and forth between the two women. It was becoming obvious to Piper that they knew each other somehow, but her brain was in too much chaos to put together the pieces.

But it didn't last for long.

"I live here!" Sylvie replied angrily, her brown eyes flashing as she stared at the blonde, who felt her stomach drop at the words. _What?_

She turned to look at Alex, her eyes shining with disbelief, but the brunette just stared back at her, and Piper finally registered the emotion in her green eyes. Guilt.

_Fuck._

"She does."

_Oh, fuck._

"That's my girlfriend, you whore."

_Oh, fucking fuck._

"No," Piper spoke the word, even as she felt reality begin to settle in, completely oblivious to the couple's arguing in her frozen state. Her heart was pounding in her chest, as the word _girlfriend _whirled around in her mind, and suddenly, Piper wished the floor would just open up and swallow her because _fuck, _how had she been so stupid?

"Your girlfriend?" She finally looked up from the ground and at the brunette, feeling her anger begin to build as she was overcome with the overwhelming need to be clothed, to be _gone_.

"It's complicated, Piper."

"Oh, this is _so _fucked up," the blonde whispered as she raced towards her clothes, which were placed haphazardly all over the floor and pieces of furniture. God, she wanted to fucking _throw _shit and yell and rage at Alex, but more than anything, she just wanted to leave. How had she been so fucking blind?

"I'm sorry, I should have said something," the dark haired woman sighed, a mixture of guilt and shame in her voice, and Piper looked up at her incredulously as she pulled on her pants.

"You think?"

"Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?" The brunette moved closer, reaching out to touch her face and Piper recoiled immediately, wanting no part of this woman or this fucked up situation. Fuck, she wished she hadn't called, wished she had just scrubbed at the palm of her hand until the number washed away down the drain.

"She punched me in the face. Yes, it hurts!" Piper exclaimed, glancing around the room. "Fuck, where's my other shoe?"

She barely paid the other woman any attention as she searched for the rest of her clothing in a frenzy, picking up her shoe as she looked around for its twin.

"I just-I-I," the brunette was stuttering as Piper searched. "I kept seeing you around, you know, I liked you. And then when you called-"

"Okay, stop it, please don't, you're making it worse." Piper had had enough of the bullshit spewing out of Alex's mouth, and was no longer concerned with anything else she had to say. All she wanted was to get as far away from her as possible.

"Here," she turned when the brunette spoke, and snatched her bra from Alex's hand. "Did you find your other shoe?"

"Forget it," Piper mumbled, no longer caring about the other shoe as she moved towards the door with the sheet still wrapped around her waist, fully intending on just getting the fuck out of there.

"You can't walk home without your shoes!" Alex sounded desperate now, and when Piper turned to look at her, she looked immensely unhappy, with guilt practically pouring from her wide green eyes. "They're nice... shoes."

Clenching her jaw, Piper threw her shoe on the floor at Alex's feet, before looking up at the dark haired woman, trying to convey all her anger in one single look. "They're from Marshalls. Fuck you."

And ignoring Alex's hurt expression; she slammed the door in her face, a face that she hoped she'd never see again.

/

Weeks passed and turned into months, since she'd last saw Piper and life went on, although Alex would swear that it felt like it was just yesterday that she had the blonde writhing beneath her. She would also swear that she was losing her fucking mind, because it seemed as if she saw Piper everywhere; in between the stacks at the local library, ordering coffee at Starbucks, and sitting at the counter in the bars Alex that frequented. Every time she would gather the courage to move forward and say hello, 'Piper' would turn around and it wouldn't be Piper at all, just some faceless blonde, and it was like a punch in the gut, every single time. On one particular night, as she drank and danced with her friends at a newly opened club, she was convinced that she did indeed see Piper. Surrounded by her own group of friends, the blonde was smiling and laughing, but before Alex could even think about moving in her direction, she was gone.

It wasn't as if she was pining away for the blonde like some stalker ex, but Alex had honestly enjoyed the time that she'd spent with her, and simply wanted to know whether or not Piper hated her guts. The chance that Piper had actually forgiven her for fucking things up so epically was slim, and she didn't expect for the blonde to accept any sort of apology from her, but she still wanted to try. It confused her, because Alex had never cared what anyone thought of her before, and yet, the thought of Piper hating her now actually caused a twinge in her chest every time she remembered the angry look in her eyes on the last night she'd seen her.

And fuck it, if she really just didn't want to see the blonde again for the simple fact that she wanted to see her face. She had a really nice face; a really nice fucking everything, if Alex was completely honest.

The bar she was in was crowded, but Alex took no notice of the other occupants as she talked and laughed with her friends. Sylvie's arm was lying across her shoulders, since the woman had forgiven her for her transgression, stupidly believing it was simply a one night stand that meant nothing. Alex knew better, knew that she had genuinely taken a liking to Piper; not that she didn't like Sylvie, she did, but their relationship was something more to just pass the time than anything.

Piper had been different, Alex knew this too, but Piper was gone.

Shrugging off her girlfriends arm from around her shoulders, Alex stood from the table and made her way to the bathroom. She was leaning against the wall, waiting for the bathroom to open up, when she heard someone walk up behind her.

"Hey." The voice was familiar, more than familiar, and Alex found her body twisting around to find Piper just _there_, standing right in front of her as if it was the most normal thing in the world. An incredulous smile tipped the corners of Alex's lips, because fuck if she hadn't just been thinking about this very woman as she walked past the bar on her way to the bathroom.

"Hey." She moved closer to the blonde, her eyes glancing past her and towards the table where her girlfriend still sat before returning back to Piper. "What are you doing here?"

It was a stupid question to ask, since there was so much that Alex wanted to say, but she wanted to test the waters before attempting to apologize the blonde. For all she knew, Piper was just here to tell her what a twisted bitch she was, but the smile on her lips gave Alex hope.

"Oh, I just- um," Alex smiled at the flustered tone of Piper's voice, glad that she could still have that effect on the blonde, despite their last meeting. "I heard about the burlesque show, you?"

"My friend Rachel's in it, she does this routine with a Ray Romano puppet, it's surprisingly sexy," she chuckled with the blonde, enjoying the way her blue eyes lit up as she laughed. As their laughter died away, Alex found herself staring at the Piper and brushed her dark away from her face in a nervous gesture, since Piper was looking at her so expectantly and it was a miracle that she was even standing here. Taking a deep breath, she leant against the wall and stared into the blonde's eyes. "Look, I'm really sorry about that night, Piper. I'm not a shady person."

And it was true, since while she had never been one for relationships, she wasn't the type of person to sleep around, nor did she consider herself a liar. She half expected Piper to regain some of the anger she had shown that night, months ago, and was pleasantly surprised when the blonde just shrugged.

"Oh, come on, don't worry about it," Piper stated casually as she moved to lean against the opposite wall. "I mean, I've never been punched before. It was probably a good life experience."

Alex chuckled as she looked at the blonde, who was staring back at her with a small smile. The brunette pursed her lips, and since the Piper didn't seem to be pissed off, decided to continue with her apology. "I meant it when I said that things were complicated. I'm new to this whole relationship thing, you know? I don't... I don't know the rules."

Alex watched as a familiar glint crept into Piper's eyes, one that she'd come to know intimately in the time they'd spent together. "That's the whole problem, isn't it?" The younger woman spoke softly, her eyes briefly dropping to Alex's lips before returning her gaze. "Rules aren't any fun."

The tone of her voice and the sparkle in Piper's eyes was enough to start a small, slow burn in the pit of Alex's stomach. She was bombarded with the memories of their two nights together as they held each other's gaze, and was almost overwhelmed with the need to touch her. The bathroom door opening finally caused Alex to break eye contact, as she moved away to let the person inside slip out. When she finally looked back at the blonde, Piper seemed to be deep in thought, but suddenly, she was right in front of her, so close that Alex could feel the heat from her skin.

"Listen," Piper started, staring intensely into Alex's eyes. "I don't want to stand in the way of true love. I mean, if that is your future wife out there, by all means, tell me to back off. But you pursued me, and I liked it." A pause and Alex found herself holding her breath, waiting for the blonde to continue. "I- I've never felt... you know, I've never really thought of myself as a sexual person, but, ever since..."

Alex's heart was pounding in her chest as Piper moved closer to her, their bodies brushing as the blonde leant up to whisper in her ear. "_I want to taste what you taste like_."

_Fuck._

Alex's eyes fluttered closed as she felt a strong jolt of desire at the blonde's words, so strong that her knees almost buckled beneath the strength of it. When Piper pulled back and looked into her eyes, the same desire shining in her bright blue orbs, Alex couldn't resist.

_Fuck it._

With one hand reaching up to touch the blonde's cheek, Alex slowly leant in to press her lips against Piper's and fuck if it wasn't exactly as she remembered. Fire spread through her body as the kiss deepened and became more urgent, with Piper's fingers in her hair, pulling her closer and closer. Reaching out blindly for the door knob, Alex opened the bathroom door and pulled Piper inside, barely having time to close it behind them before Piper was pushing her up against the wall. The moment reminded Alex of the first time they had fucked, in the bathroom at a club not far from here, as Piper tugged urgently on the button of her jeans. With fistfuls of blonde hair grasped in her hands, Alex pressed her lips roughly against the blondes, unwilling to let Piper move away since she was finally getting what she had unknowingly craved for the past two months.

There was no hesitance in the blonde's touch as she blindly pulled down Alex's pants with swift, efficient movements, before pressing the palm of her hand against Alex's cunt. The dark haired woman jerked at the sudden touch, breaking the kiss and gasping sharply, and Piper used this moment to make her descent. Despite the fact she was still half clothed, Alex could still feel the warmth of Piper's lips as she kissed down her covered stomach, while her fingers continued to stroke her clit smoothly. She knew there was no time to waste, since it wouldn't be long before Sylvie started wondering where she was and came looking for her, but she honestly found it hard to care with Piper's hot breath blowing against her pussy, sending delicious shivers down her spine.

"God," the blonde whispered as she pressed a soft kiss against Alex's shaking inner thigh, nuzzling the skin with her nose. "You smell _so _fucking _good._"

The brunette's head dropped back against the wall at the first languid lick, light and teasing along her lips, and groaned at the exquisite feeling. A tongue traced over her opening, almost causing her knees to buckle, before delving between her folds, and Piper's moan as she got her first taste of her vibrated through her entire being. "_Holy shit._"

There was no hesitance in Piper's touch as she gripped her thighs and opened her wider, so the blonde could explore further into her depths, while avoiding Alex's clit and almost driving her hysterical. With her legs shaking, her knees threatening to buckle, and one hand clenched in blonde hair to ground her, she felt her eyes close as lips finally wrapped around her clit and Alex could have cried because it was fucking _heaven. _

"Fuck, Piper." Her hips bucked involuntarily into the girl's mouth as she sucked her harder, with one of her fingers lightly tracing her opening before slipping inside. And Alex swore that Piper must have gotten some experience in the last few months, since this couldn't possibly be the first time the blonde had done this, because Alex felt as if she was going to explode and they had barely even started. Every one of her nerves was on fire, sparking with electricity as Piper's tongue flicked over her clit, with the overwhelming feeling of finally being _full _with the blonde's fingers pushing slowly in and out of her.

And when those fingers pulled away and Piper's mouth left her, Alex almost did fucking cry, because it was so good and she was so close. She opened her mouth to ask Piper why she had stopped, but all that escaped was a choked cry of pleasure as Piper's skilled tongue replaced her fingers and buried itself inside of her. It took barely three strokes before Alex's body started to quake, her moans muffled by the back of her hand as her back twisted and arched. She continued to grip Piper's hair in her fist as her body shuddered, holding her in place, not that the blonde seemed to be in any rush to move.

"Fuck," the word was hoarse and choked when it was finally released, as Alex unclenched her fingers from Piper's hair and all but collapsed against the door. Her limbs were still trembling, and her heart was still racing, but the soothing feeling of Piper's hand caressing her thighs was calming her down. She looked down at the blonde, to find big blue eyes staring back at her, sparkling with satisfaction and a smirk twisted Alex's lips. "Don't look so smug, kid."

"Not smug," the blonde replied simply, leaning forwards to press a soft kiss to Alex's stomach. "Just happy."

_Yeah, _Alex thought as she ran her fingers through Piper's blonde hair, in no rush to move from her current position, since she doubted her legs would hold her anyway. _Me too._

But then Piper was standing up, and pulling Alex's underwear and jeans up with her, and all too soon, that twinkle was fading from her bright blue eyes. "Your girlfriend's probably wondering where you are."

And just like that, Piper was leaving, disappearing into the crowded bar and escaping out the door, and Alex was sitting back at her table with her fucking girlfriend and their friends, trying to ignore the searching looks from Sylvie as she ordered another beer. But a smile was pulling at Alex's lips, due to a small piece of folded paper in her back pocket and Piper's last words to her ringing in her ears.

_"This is me pursuing you, and just so we're clear, I always get what I want. Call me."_

And Alex knew she would, she just had to make one small change in her life before she did. So, later that night, as she was sitting on the edge of her bed, watching as her girlfriend packed her things for their trip to Barcelona with all theirs friends, Alex decided she'd had enough of wasting time.

"Sylvie, we need to talk."

/

It's been almost a week since Piper last saw Alex, leaving her with one final, lingering kiss outside the bathroom and a folded piece of paper in her hand. She had been patient for the first two days when the brunette didn't call, which then turned into three days of frustration and finally, ultimately, worry that gnawed at her insides, that she'd scared Alex away by being so forward. Which was crazy, really, since she thought that Alex actually liked her when she was blunt and straight to the point, as Alex was herself, which led to another day of being angry with the dark haired woman.

_She has a girlfriend, what do you expect? _Her mind scolded her one night after she had returned to her apartment from work, to mope on the couch. And honestly, Piper didn't know what she had expected. She hadn't seen the brunette for two months previous to their encounter at the bar, and for all Piper knew, Alex had completely forgotten about her in that time. Piper herself had hoped she wouldn't see the woman for the first month, since she had been positively seething over the fucked up situation that the brunette had dumped her in when they parted.

And don't get her wrong, Piper had been _pissed, _had returned home that night to rage to her best friend, Polly, and then proceeded to rip up Alex's number which she had written and stuck to her fridge. As far as she had been concerned, Alex was a fucked up, manipulative bitch, who had used her for casual, unfortunately amazing, sex. But as the weeks went by, she found herself looking for the brunette in the bars she hung out in with her friends, found herself hoping that Alex would magically show up.

And then she realized that she had actually liked Alex, which in turn, made her angry at herself. She had thrown herself a three day long pity party on learning this unfortunate information, before she finally pulled herself from the hole she'd dug herself into and decided that she wanted to see the brunette again.

And so when a friend told her about a burlesque show that was being held at a bar that Piper knew Alex frequented regularly with her friends, Piper took action.

And now she was waiting for a phone call from a girl who had lied to get into her pants, and who had a fucking _girlfriend _for fuck's sake.

And it was at that exact moment that her phone rang, and Piper turned her head slowly to stare at the vibrating cell as it buzzed on the arm of her couch. After three rings, Piper slowly reached out to pick it up and her eyes widened at the number on the screen.

_You've got to be kidding me._

After taking a deep breath, she answered the call and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Alex."

"Oh, hey." She wanted to hit herself in the face at the obviously forced casual tone of her voice, but she honestly wasn't sure what to say. She had been hoping, waiting for the brunette to call, but had exactly planned any further ahead than that.

_God, you're an idiot, _her mind groaned at the awkward silence that followed her words, and Piper could only sigh in complete agreement.

"I know it's a bit late, but I was wondering if you'd like to go for coffee?" Alex's husky tone sounded surprisingly hopeful, and Piper instantly wanted to say yes, but at the same time, she didn't want to seem too eager. Alex had waited an entire week to call after all, and girlfriend or not, Piper wasn't the type of girl to wait around.

"Last time I went with you to get coffee, I ended up getting punched in the face," Piper's words were meant to be joking, but the slightly bitter edge to her tone couldn't be missed.

"Piper," the name was no more than a sigh from Alex's lips, and she knew the underlying message in her words hadn't been missed. "Look, I know I really fucked things up, okay? Just come to the coffee shop and let me explain. I swear it won't end up with you being punched in the face this time. _I promise._"

There was something in her tone of voice that made Piper sit a little straighter, some hidden meaning behind Alex's words that caught her interest. "What does your girlfriend think about you calling me at ten o'clock at night?"

"There is no girlfriend."

Oh. _Oh._

And just like that, her disappointment over Alex waiting so long to call, and her anger just faded away, to be replaced with a spark of hope that warmed her chest. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

And when Piper fell asleep that night, sweaty and sated in the dark haired woman's arms, it felt like no time had passed at all but everything had changed. And yet, even with Alex's lips brushing the back of her neck and her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, Piper couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was limited. In the back of her mind, she could hear the sound of a clock ticking, but she must just be exhausted, her mind in a mess due to her sudden reunion with the dark haired woman and their unbelievable sex. She was just overthinking things, as she was prone to do in complicated situations, because this felt good and right, and Piper didn't want it to end.

There was no clock and this wouldn't end, it was just her over imaginative mind playing tricks on her again, right?

Right?

_Tick, tick, tick. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Times Up**

It's been three months since Piper and Alex started seeing each other, three months of crazy parties, fancy dinners and unbelievable sex and Piper was content. It had started slowly, after Alex left her girlfriend, they saw each other once a week, but as the weeks went by, they became more and more inseparable, until Piper was beginning to wonder why she even bothered leaving the dark haired woman's apartment. The blonde wasn't entirely sure what their relationship was, whether they were just sleeping together or if they were _together _together, but she in no rush to make their relationship official. She was perfectly comfortable with what they had, since the sex was amazing, and why did they need to put a label on it, anyway? Sure, it had been three months, but Piper didn't even know if she wanted anything more than this. She liked how easy it was, enjoyed the thrill of having no rules, no one to answer to and she liked Alex.

And fuck, did she like Alex or what. The woman was a complete mystery to her, but every day, she felt as if she was getting closer and closer to the woman underneath, as if every time they touched, a layer of the woman's hard exterior peeled away, to reveal a sliver of the person inside. And it wasn't as if all they did was fuck, though that did take up the majority of their time together, since neither could seem to keep their hands off each other. They talked a lot, in between the sheets and on Alex's couch, in between searing touches and soft kisses, about everything; their views on politics, the books they liked, the places they'd been and where they wanted to go. And Alex was fucking _smart_, she had an opinion on everything, and honestly, Piper just loved listening to her talk, whether it was about their current government or if she was reciting a poem by one of her favorite poets.

She really fucking liked her, and she needed to talk to someone about this new development in her life, which is why she was currently talking to her best friend, Polly, long after midnight. And while Polly was interested in her new relationship, she was undoubtedly skeptical of this woman in Piper's life, which wasn't surprising, since there had never been a woman before.

"So, how long has this been going on for?" Polly questioned as she took a long drag from her cigarette, eyeing her best friend curiously. "Because, last I heard, this chick fucked you over big time, literally. Didn't her girlfriend punch you in the face?"

"Yes," Piper had to concede that point to her friend. "Sylvie was fucking crazy, but that's over and Alex isn't who I thought she was. I mean, she can be an asshole but I kind of like it, you know? Plus, she can be sweet too, not to mention funny and the sex is _amazing_."

"So what? Are you like, gay now?" Polly chuckled, not unkindly. "Are you going to cut your hair into a mullet and start wearing wife beaters? I don't think even you could pull that off, P."

"I'm not gay, I'm not. I'm just experimenting," Piper shook her head slowly at her friend, though she knew it was far from the truth. She may not be gay, but she definitely wasn't straight either, at least when it came to Alex. "I don't know, maybe all the guys that I've been with so far have been really bad in bed but I'm telling you, it's like I've just discovered what sex is supposed to be."

"But she has a girlfriend."

"Mm, she _had_ a girlfriend, they were having problems," Piper looked up in her best friend's eyes, saw the doubt there and felt the need to defend herself. "It's _over_."

"For sure?"

"Yeah." Polly still looked skeptical, and Piper honestly couldn't blame her, after all, Alex had lied to her once already, who was to say she wouldn't do it again?

"I don't know, Piper," Polly was shaking her head, but she was smiling and the blonde figured this was the best she was going to get from her friend, in terms of a blessing. The conversation was cut off by the doorbell ringing and Piper frowned, wondering who the fuck could be showing up at this late hour.

"Who is that?" She wondered aloud as she stood and walked to the front door. Upon opening the door, she found not a person but instead, there a paper bag on her doorstep, which was on _fire_. _What the fuck?_

She gasped and immediately stepped forward to step on the bag, intending to put out the fire and squealed when she noticed the substance that covered her shoe. "Oh my god. Oh my god! There's shit in that bag!"

Polly had followed her to the door and she looked at Piper with a mixture of disgust and disbelief. "You fell for that? That's like the oldest trick in the book."

"What is the oldest trick in the book?" Piper screeched angrily. "Poop? In a bag? _On fire?!_"

"Yes," Polly sighed in exasperation over her best friend's naivety as she crossed her arms over her chest. "My brother and his friend's used to do it, it's so fucking stupid. It's a prank."

"Oh," Piper gasped in disgust as she dragged her feet along the porch, attempting to remove the shit from her shoes. She was trying to think about whom the fuck would do this, when it suddenly hit her and she looked up from her feet to slowly scan the dark street. "Oh my God, it's her."

"Who?" Polly questioned immediately, her brown eyes widening as they followed Piper's line of vision.

"Sylvia, Alex's ex." Piper continued to stare into the darkness, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the crazy woman.

"Really?"

"Yes, she's fucking crazy! She attacked me," the blonde exclaimed in response, just knowing this was something the deranged woman would do. "This is her, I know it."

"Do you think its human shit?" Polly asked suddenly, as she stared at the brown substance smeared over their porch, causing Piper to pause in her search for Alex's ex-girlfriend. She looked down at the ground in a mixture of disgust and worry, before meeting her best friend's gaze.

"No, I mean, this is dog shit, right?" She had meant to sound convincing, but honestly, she wouldn't be surprised. Sylvie was fucking insane.

"I mean, if she's really as crazy as you say."

"You don't think she squatted and pooped in a bag, do you?" And now the blonde was just looking for confirmation, in hopes that someone couldn't possibly be that fucked up. Polly just continued to stare at her and Piper sighed as she shook her head. "Well, she did get her point across, I'll give her that much."

"Lesbians are insane." Polly shook her head before turning around and walking back into the house, leaving Piper alone on the porch with her thoughts.

_Fuck, _she thought as she stared down at her shit covered shoes with a sigh. _What have I gotten myself into?_

/

It's a muffled crash and a muttered curse that wakes Alex from her slumber and she opens her bleary green eyes to stare at her unfocused bedroom with a frown. The other side of her bed is cold and Piper's blonde head no longer rests on the pillow, which isn't surprising, since it's uncommon for the blonde to stay in bed long after she wakes up, which is always much earlier than Alex ever does. She's almost convinced that the younger woman is some kind of machine, who can stay up all night fucking for hours on end, still wake up barely past dawn and be perfectly active as if she had slept for twelve hours straight.

_To be young, _Alex smirked as she pushed her face into her pillow, feeling very inactive this morning, since while she was nowhere near old at twenty six; she needed at least eight hours of sleep to function properly. Not enough sleep meant no witty sarcastic remarks and she knew how much Piper would hate that, so she decided to stay where she was.

Until she heard another crash, which sounded distinctly metallic, and another curse from Piper.

With a groan, Alex slowly pushed herself upright and reached out towards the bedside table for her glasses. She picked up her sleep shirt from the end of the bed and shrugged it on as she padded silently towards the kitchen.

The sight that greeted her was not what she expected. Not that she ever knew what to expect when Piper was in her apartment; the girl attracted trouble like honey attracted a bee.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She delighted in the way Piper jumped as she turned around to face her, her bright blue eyes wide with surprise. "What is that?"

"This?" Piper shook the device in her glue covered hand. "It's a piece of fucking shit, that's what it is."

Alex's eyebrows rose towards her hairline as she glanced past Piper and noticed what seemed to be the remains of her toaster. The kitchen appliance was in several separate pieces, and much like Piper's hands, they were covered in a thick gooey substance. She shook her head in amusement as she walked towards the blonde, who had now discarded the glue gun and was washing her hands in the sink.

"What am I going to do with you?" She murmured into the blonde's ear as she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around Piper's slim waist. She could feel the blonde smile from where their cheeks were pressed together and the dark haired woman let out a soft sigh of contentment at the way their bodies fit together so perfectly.

"Whatever you like," Piper pressed her ass back against her crotch briefly, causing the dark haired woman to stifle a groan, before pulling away. "But you're going to have to wait for another time. I've got to go to work."

"Already?" Alex sighed as she reluctantly let the blonde go, only now noticing that the younger woman was wearing the tight black shirt and skirt uniform that she wore to her waitressing job. "It's not even ten a.m."

"I know," the blonde picked up her overnight bag from the couch, already packed, and threw the strap over her shoulder. "I've got the lunch shift today and I want to go home first and drop this off."'

"You've got that dinner at your mother's house tonight, right?" Alex asked as she watched Piper pick up her phone and purse, which shoved into her bag along with everything else.

"Mhm," Piper hummed in agreement, checking herself in the mirror before making her way to where Alex still stood, leaning against the kitchen counter. She leant up and pressed her lips against the dark haired woman's in a brief, though passion filled kiss, before pulling away. "I'll see you on Friday though, and then Saturday, for your party. I'm bringing Polly, so you have to be nice."

Alex merely smirked in response, watching as Piper gave her one last look before leaving the room. A moment later, Alex heard her front door open and close, signaling that the blonde was truly gone, leaving the apartment feeling much emptier than before.

It was strange how empty and quiet the house felt once Piper was gone, without the blonde to brighten up the room with her smile or her voice. Sometimes, when she hadn't seen the girl for days, Alex wondered if she'd ever been there at all, since the blonde took everything with her when she left. There wasn't even a toothbrush that belonged to Piper in the bathroom, or a spare change of clothes, and Alex knew that it was partly her fault. Of course, she hadn't exactly cleared out a drawer for the blonde, nor had she ever even offered to make any space for her things, since it had only been four months since they started seeing each other and Alex had no idea how these things worked.

She hadn't exactly been in a lot of relationships. Sylvie had been her most serious relationship, as the woman had lived in her house, but that had been at Sylvie's insistence. In fact, their whole relationship had basically been at the other woman's insistence; she had pushed her way into Alex's life and settled there like a leech and Alex was in no way ready to repeat the experience. Not that Piper was pushing her for anything; the blonde was much more subtle with her presence within Alex's house. Because while there was none of her things lying around, there were memories of her everywhere throughout the apartment and Alex could practically feel her fingerprints on all of her things.

And as always with the blonde, Alex found herself wanting more.

They hadn't ever actually discussed what it was that was going on between them, whether it was just messing around or something more serious. And for the past four months, Alex had been perfectly okay with that, relishing the freedom after her relationship with Sylvie and just enjoying Piper while she was around. And Piper didn't seem to be in any rush to put a label on what it was they were doing, in fact, Piper was almost definitely enjoying what they had, since she was still young and in the stage of not wanting to have to answer to anyone. For God sake, the girl hadn't even invited Alex over to her apartment yet, which she shared with her friend, Holly or something ridiculous. Plus, why should they be forced to put a label on their relationship? Alex had never been one for anything conformist and her relationship with Piper was far from conventional; why should they complicate something that had barely been defined yet?

Alex didn't want to fuck things up by rushing into anything and Piper seemed perfectly content with what they had, so why couldn't they just take it easy instead of buckling beneath the judgment of society?

And suddenly, surprisingly, these thoughts began to make Alex feel distinctly uneasy. While she still didn't want to put a label on their relationship too quickly, she couldn't help but wonder what Piper thought about all of this, if the blonde cared at all. What if Alex was some sort of experiment to the younger woman, who had confessed to having never been with another woman before, not long after they'd first begun sleeping together? Was she just a way to pass the time now that Piper had finished college, a little gap year for the blonde before she moved on with her life? Alex stared around at her empty apartment, void of any of Piper's belongings and frowned deeply at her line of thoughts.

If one thing was certain, Alex Vause did not want to be a phase in the young woman's life; did not want to be tossed away like trash once the blonde was done with experimenting. She liked Piper, genuinely _liked her_, and she didn't see that changing in the foreseeable future. The dark haired woman wasn't one to plan out her life, but she did have plans and slowly but surely, without even realizing it, Piper had become a part of them.

_Wait, what?_

Alex shook her head violently at this surprising thought, wondering where the fuck it had come from but unable to deny the truth behind it. When she thought of her future, Piper was just _there_, which was crazy and terrifying and fuck, it had only been _four months_, but it was true. She knew that she was expected to go overseas sometime in the near future and while she hadn't asked Piper to come with her (because that would be crazy, right?) she had hoped that the blonde would still be there when she got back.

But now she couldn't help but wonder if this was it; if this was the only time that she'd ever be with the blonde. After explaining to Piper that she did indeed work for an _international drug cartel_, they had spoken briefly about Alex's plans to go overseas, but at the time, Piper had seemed more interested in Alex's possible adventures than the thought of her leaving and they hadn't even discussed the possibility of the dark haired woman returning or what it meant for their relationship. Alex knew that Piper had zero expectations, she didn't expect anything from Alex and the dark haired woman had liked that, relished the fact that she didn't have anyone relying on her.

But _fuck. _

Alex drummed her fingers on the kitchen counter, her eyes trailing distractedly to the broken toaster as she thought, a sure sign that the blonde had indeed been there. Slapping her hand on the bench, Alex nodded her head in determination as she made a sudden decision before turning sharply on her heel and striding towards the bedroom. Her feet led her to stand right in front of her dresser, where she promptly opened the second drawer which held all her shirts and then proceeded to scoop them out and onto the floor, leaving the drawer bare. With a satisfied smile, she stared at the empty space before closing the drawer and making her way to the shower, intent on washing her worries away down the drain, where they belonged.

/

There was soft music playing and well dressed, attractive people were scattered throughout Alex's apartment, drinking and laughing. It definitely wasn't one of the college parties that Piper used to frequent, with drunken dancing, kegs on the table and underage teens drinking in the corner. This party was much more like its hostess, dignified and yet still fun, since while no one was grinding up on each other in the middle of a makeshift dance floor, there was no lack of laughter in the place and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

She spotted Alex in the open living space, looking gorgeous with her hair pinned up and wearing a dress that clung deliciously to her generous curves, much like when Piper met her the first time, what felt like a lifetime ago. It had been six months since the first time they slept together, and four since it had started becoming a regular occurrence, with dinner dates and glorious morning after's in bed thrown in to the mix, and her attraction the raven haired woman hadn't faded in the slightest over the months. If anything, her desire for the woman only grew every time she was with her, which had been proved last night when Alex made Piper come _seven_ _fucking times_, since Piper just couldn't get enough of the older woman's hands and mouth on her body. God, she felt a shiver run down her spine just thinking about it and at that moment, the dark haired woman turned to face her from across the room, as if she had somehow felt the same tingling in her bones.

Alex flashed the blonde a grin as she excused herself from the small group of people that she had been conversing with before sauntering over to the younger woman like a panther on the prowl. A bottle of unopened champagne dangled from one of her hands, as the other reached out to cup Piper's cheek the moment she was within reach.

"You're here," Alex murmured huskily as she leant down to press her lips against Pipers in a lingering kiss. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks, you too," Piper returned the compliment shyly, a brilliant smile lighting her features as she pulled away from the dark haired woman. "I've actually been here for a while, but I was talking to some of your guests."

"Ah, playing the perfect little housewife, I love it," Alex grinned cheekily, her words causing Piper's heart to slam against her ribcage unintentionally, as she begun to uncork the bottle of champagne in her hand. Piper couldn't help but let out a little scream as the cork popped from the bottle, showering her in drops of champagne as Alex laughed with delight, bringing the neck of the bottle closer so that she could lick the foam away with her tongue.

And fuck if it wasn't the sexiest thing that Piper had ever seen in her life.

"Mm, oh, that's good," Piper murmured as she licked the droplets of champagne from her fingers, while Alex turned to fill a champagne glass on a table nearby.

"It's a party," Alex grinned in response as she handed Piper the glass of champagne, filled to the brim with the bubbling liquid.

"I feel like I'm playing house."

"You wanna play doctor instead?" Alex chuckled, her green eyes sparkling with mischief behind her glasses as she grinned at the blonde. Piper was just about to respond when a familiar voice sounded from behind her, breaking the playful moment.

"This place is insane," Polly commented as she stepped up beside Piper, whose eyes were still focused on the dark haired beauty at her side. Alex merely inclined her head slightly in acknowledge at her best friend's comment, raising her bottle of champagne into the air.

"Cheers."

"Cheers," Piper murmured in response, clinking her glass against the bottle before taking a sip of the liquid and delighting in the way the bubbles exploded on her tongue.

"Great to meet you, Holly," Alex commented with a glint in her eye as she spoke, and Piper felt her eyes flutter closed for a second in reaction to the purposeful game the dark haired woman was playing with her friend. God, was this woman really twenty six years old, or thirteen?

"It's Polly, actually," Polly's eyes met Piper's briefly, in a moment of silent conversation, her brown orbs clearly saying, _Seriously, P? _

Piper merely pressed her lips together, turning her gaze towards Alex who was quite obviously trying not to laugh. "Right, Polly Hobbie."

_For God sake._

An awkward silence followed, though it was obvious that Alex's attention was focused somewhere else. Piper turned her head automatically, following Alex's line of vision, to see a man standing off to the side, raising his glass slightly in greeting. _Ah._

"Would you excuse me for a minute? I have to go play hostess." Soft lips pressed against her temple and a warm hand squeezed her waist before Alex was striding towards the man, who Piper had met on several occasions, leaving Piper smiling in her wake. That was until her gaze landed on her best friend, who was still staring at her with that obviously annoyed look.

"She's better in small groups," Piper attempted to explain to her disgruntled best friend, while her blue eyes continued to follow Alex across the room.

"Do you think she'll remember my name then?" Polly commented sarcastically.

"Are you being pissy because I'm seeing a woman?" Piper asked, more playful than serious, since she loved to antagonize Polly almost as much as Alex did.

"I'm being pissy because you're seeing an asshole," Polly responded, frustration evident in her tone and Piper couldn't completely disagree. Alex was smart and beautiful, not to mention charming and funny, but she was also definitely an asshole. But still.

"I think you're over reacting a little bit, _Molly_."

Polly merely raised an eyebrow. "There's a weird energy in here, not to mention she's loaded and she's like, what? Thirty? Trust fund?"

"No, she imports... things." Piper answered honestly, uncomfortable explaining exactly what Alex imported to her best friend, since Piper still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of it herself. It had been enough of a shock to find out that the dark haired woman hadn't been joking about her job occupation, but Piper had decided to push that information as far out of her mind as she could for the sake of their relationship. Alex's job didn't define who she was and as long as Piper didn't become a part of it, she could turn a trade mark Chapman blind eye towards it and ignore it. "I can't believe you're giving me shit for this. You dated your teacher."

"Adjunct professor," Polly defended.

"I really like her," Piper deliberately dragged out the words, hoping it would help convince Polly that she was serious about this, about Alex.

"Do you like her, or her things?" Polly asked honestly and if it had been anyone else, Piper might have hit them. But this was Polly, her best friend in the entire world, and she knew that Polly was genuinely worried for her, so she opted for sarcasm instead of violence.

"Oh, I get it, you're feeling threatened."

"Oh, Jesus, fuck off, I'm just looking out for you," Polly responded in exasperation.

"Well, don't. I'm happy." And it was true, she was ridiculously happy.

"Well, don't expect me to be there when you're not happy anymore."

"Okay, I won't expect that," Piper shrugged, with a smile pulling at her lips. "But you will be, because you love me."

"Of course I do, you stupid lesbian," Polly reached out to gently shove her arm, though her smile was genuine.

"You spoilt bitch." Piper grinned, before her smile became positively devilish. "I came _seven_ times last night."

Polly's expression rapidly changed from amusement, to horror and then to disgust. "Well, that's just excessive."

"Oh, shut up," Piper laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "You're just jealous. Come on, finish that and let's go mingle. Alex knows some pretty cute guys and some of them are even straight."

Piper hardly saw Alex for the rest of the party, since Piper was too busy socializing with the guests and making sure that everyone had a good time, while having a good time herself and Alex was busy playing hostess. They shared fleeting, though intense glances from across the room and soft touches as they passed each other, but that was about it. It wasn't until it was almost three a.m. and the last guest was stumbling out of the door when Piper finally had Alex all to herself.

Or at least, she would have, had she not been so drunk that she couldn't stand from the chair she'd practically fallen into.

"Look at you," Alex crooned huskily from the door way to her study, her green eyes raking over Piper from her bare feet to her disheveled hair. "How many glasses of champagne did you have?"

"Glasses?" The blonde slurred drowsily, attempting to focus on Alex's blurry form. "I was drinking from the bottle at one point."

"That's my girl," Alex chuckled as she walked slowly towards her, her high heels clicking on the hardwood floors. She stopped in front of the severely inebriated girl and held out her hands for Piper to grasp, before slowly pulling her out of the arm chair. "Come on, I think it's your bed time, kid."

"Psht," Piper made a noise of protest but allowed herself to be led to Alex's bedroom, where the dark haired woman unzipped her dress before letting her collapse on the bed. Tracing her tongue across her teeth, the blonde grimaced and opened one bright blue eye, glancing around the room for her bag. "Where are my things? I need to brush my teeth."

The dark haired woman was now on the other side of the room, removing her ear rings, and she paused with her back turned to the blonde as she answered her question in a soft, throaty voice. "In your drawer."

"What? What drawer?" Piper's brows furrowed in confusion as she struggled to push herself up into a sitting position. "I don't have a drawer."

"Second one from the top," Alex gestured to her chest of drawers in front of the bed, with her back still facing the blonde and her hands resting flat on her dressing table. Her green eyes followed Piper in the mirror as she stood up slowly from the bed, before padding across the room to the drawers in question. And just as Alex had said, folded neatly in the second drawer, were all of her things that had been packed into her bag with her toothbrush resting on top.

An incredulous, happy little smile tipped the blonde's lips as she removed her toothbrush and slowly closed the drawer. She hadn't expected this, wasn't entirely sure what this meant, but she felt a warm glow burn in her chest and slowly spread throughout her body nonetheless. Because while she wasn't entirely sure what the hidden meaning behind this drawer of her things was, she knew that it meant something and she felt her heart flutter beneath her ribcage at the possibilities.

She made her way to the bathroom, passing the still silent Alex on her way, and gently ran her fingers across the dark haired woman's tense back as she passed. She felt the older woman relax immediately at the touch and Piper's grin only brightened as she felt those green eyes following her until she disappeared into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, she listened to Alex undressing in the other room and wondered if they would be able to beat their record tonight, despite the blonde's severely intoxicated state.

God knew that she would try and then she'd really have something to brag to Polly about in the morning.

/

She had been avoiding it for as long as she could, but one could only avoid something for so long when they worked for an international drug cartel. Alex may have been a very important part of the association, but that didn't mean that she was irreplaceable and that only made her avoiding her boss that much more dangerous. Her boss was undoubtedly happy with her work and so she wasn't surprised when she was chosen to further their contacts overseas. She had expected it for months, had been previously thrilled at the prospect, and yet now that it was finally here, she found herself skirting her responsibilities, for nothing other than a piece of ass. A piece of ass that her pushed its way into her bed and into her life; a piece of ass that would probably end up getting her killed, and god, what a fine piece of ass it was.

The ass in question was currently swaying to the soft music that was playing in her bedroom, tempting her away from the words on the page before her. She glanced up from her book, forgetting instantly everything she had just read, as she watched Piper's hips sway and roll to the soft beat. The blonde peeked at her over her shoulder, leading Alex to believe that the dark haired woman's attention was what she wanted and she gave it to her wholeheartedly as she closed her book with a soft thud.

"Get over here." The blonde turned to face her slowly when she finally spoke and Alex's mouth instantly went dry at the shamelessly lustful expression on the young woman's face. Instead of following the dark haired woman's command, Piper continued to sway slowly on the spot, while her hands grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

_'Come here.' _Alex mouthed the words silently, making a come hither motion with her finger, to which the blonde finally obeyed, slinking seductively towards the bed. One hand wrapped around the bedpost and Alex watched with intense green eyes as the blonde rolled her hips, never breaking eye contact. The urge to move forward and touch the younger woman, to throw her down on the bed and fuck her senseless was almost overwhelming, but Alex resisted. Piper would come to her eventually; she always did.

"Are you going to miss me?" Piper asked, her voice low and husky with lust and there was absolutely no hesitation in Alex's response.

"Yes." How could there be any other answer when the blonde was half naked, dancing seductively for her? Of course she would miss this, would miss Piper's body and the sex while she away for God knew how long. "Too much."

_Too much_, it was the honest truth, because Alex knew that she'd miss Piper, more than she wanted to. And she knew that it wasn't just the blonde's great ass and the unbelievable sex that she'd miss; she'd miss _everything_ about the blonde. And that's when it suddenly hit her; why did she have to miss her at all?

"Come with me." The words were out before she could even properly consider what this could mean for them, but she didn't care. The moment she said the words, Alex realized how much she meant them, how much she truly wanted this. Why shouldn't Piper come with her, after all? They'd been seeing each other for months and she knew that Piper wasn't someone she was going to get bored of anytime soon. She wanted this; she wanted the blonde to come, she was sure of it; now all that was left was convincing Piper that it would be a good idea, which would be easy.

"What?" So lost in her little strip tease, she doubted that Piper was even listening to what she was saying, but that would change.

"Come to Bali," Alex said again, more of a command than a request as she picked up the remote to turn down the music. "Come with me, I mean it, I'll buy you a plane ticket."

The blonde crawled onto the bed slowly, the playful glint in her eyes now replaced with wary confusion. "Are you serious?" It was more of a statement for Alex to stop kidding around, as she was prone to do in serious conversations, instead of an actual question. Piper didn't believe her, which shouldn't have been too surprisingly, since Alex had hardly even discussed the trip with the blonde, other than telling her she'd be out of town for a while. And of course, Piper had no expectations; the only sign that she'd ever received from Alex that she wanted to keep her around was a measly drawer of her things, and this was something huge.

This was something that would change their relationship, would change their lives, Alex had no doubt. And fuck, she wanted it.

"Yes." Alex stated confidently, because she was confident now; she wanted this and Piper would want it too, after Alex gave her the little push that she needed. She moved closer to the blonde, finally giving into temptation and pressed a soft kiss in between Piper's breasts. "Come with me." She placed her hands on Piper's waist and pulled her closer, until the girl was straddling her thigh. "Quit your job. Come with me."

"Like... I..." Piper stumbled over her words, torn between her lust and her thoughts as Alex pressed a kiss to her neck. "I'd have to give notice."

"You're a fucking waitress; you don't have to give notice." She pressed a kiss to Piper's cheek, while her hands roamed her body, reminding the blonde of what she would miss if Alex went without her. It wasn't entirely fair, forcing Piper to make her decision like this, but Alex was taking no chances. She didn't want to give Piper any reason to say no, didn't want to have her plan rejected, especially now that she wanted it so badly.

"Will I get into trouble?"

"God, I hope so," Alex chuckled huskily before pressing another kiss to the blonde's neck as her hand molded itself against Piper's breast. God, she felt so fucking good, how had she ever thought she'd be able to live for the next few months without _this_?

"You know what I mean," Piper responded breathlessly and of course Alex knew, knew Piper's fears when it came to her job, even if she never voiced them.

"You don't have to do anything; you're just there to keep me company, alright?" No longer could she resist the temptation of Piper's lips being so close and she closed the distance between them quickly. She kissed the blonde passionately as her hand slowly made it's descent between their bodies, to trace the hem of Piper's shorts. "Come on, baby, I want you to come." She whispered before pushing her hand beneath the waistband of Piper's shorts, to find the girl absolutely drenched. "And I want you to _come._"

As she slowly pressed two fingers inside of the blonde, she leant forward to feast on the girl's neck. Piper's soft moans echoed in her ears as she started a slow rhythm, easing in and out of the blonde as the heel of her hand pressed against her clit. In between her thrusts and the soft noises Piper was making, came a breathless word that caused Alex to pull back with a grin tipping the corners of her lips. "Yes? Is that a yes?"

"Yes." Piper breathed, as their lips met again and again. "_Yes_."

It was akin to the feeling of successfully closing a deal with a huge client, the thrill that raced down Alex's spine at the simple three lettered word. She'd never felt so excited for the simple fact of having someone's company before, though she knew it was more than that. This was a whole new step for them, for their relationship, and Alex was surprised and excited to find that she was ready for it, and ecstatic that Piper seemed to be too.

It was time to take this relationship further, in both the metaphorical and literal sense and all Alex could think as Piper's sweat slick body arched beneath her onslaught was, _bring it on. _

/

It was two days before their trip to Bali and Piper was just leaving her apartment to pick up some things from the supermarket when she saw it. Her car was sitting in the driveway, silver paint sparkling in the sunlight and it looked perfectly fine, if not for the huge slashes in her tires. "What. The. _Fuck!_"

She felt a shiver of fear race down her spine as she spun around, her eyes searching the deserted street for the person who had done this. And it wasn't as if Piper didn't already know; there was only one person in her life who hated her enough to do something like this.

Fucking _Sylvie. _

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Piper hissed as she stalked towards her car, kneeling down to look at the completely deflated tires. Her anger was beginning to overwhelm her fear, since it had been almost three months since the shit incident, and that Piper could have understood, but this? It had been more than six months since Alex left the girl, for fuck sake, hadn't she moved on yet?

It was barely eight in the morning and Piper knew that Alex wouldn't be up yet, but she rang a cab anyway and directed him straight towards the woman's apartment on the other side of town. With the key that Alex had given her only a few weeks before, Piper unlocked the door to the place and stalked through the living space and straight into the dark haired woman's bedroom, to find her exactly as she expected; sprawled out on the king side bed, her black hair disheveled and one hand reaching towards the empty space beside her.

The sight made Piper stop for a moment, as she let her eyes rake over Alex's form and that hand that was lying on the sheets where the blonde's body usually lay. And as she continued to stare, she felt herself slowly calm down and her anger was replaced with a warmth that seeped slowly throughout her body and into her heart.

With soft, quiet steps, she slowly padded across the room and crawled onto the bed, careful not to wake the dark haired woman, but, as if sensing her presence, the hand that was lying on the sheets twitched, before reaching out and snaring her around her waist, pulling her closer. Those green orbs opened only moments later, staring into her eyes from close range as a grin pulled at the dark haired woman's lips, one which Piper couldn't help but return.

"Hey," Alex's voice was soft and raspy with sleep, as she blinked her glassy eyes. "What are you doing here?"

It took a moment for Piper to remember why she had decided to come to the dark haired woman's apartment, since her focus was on the hand that was gently caressing her skin beneath her t-shirt. "Sylvie slashed my tires."

And just like that, the moment was ruined, as Alex pulled back to stare at her in shock, her green eyes going wide with surprise and confusion. "_What?"_

"Mhm," Piper hummed in agreement as Alex leant over to pick up her glasses from the bedside table and then processed to play with them between her long fingers. "The bitch is out to get me."

"Are you sure it was Sylvie?" Alex asked and then relented underneath Piper's dull stare. "Okay, let's say that it was; I'm sure it isn't anything serious."

"Alex, she slashed my tires!" Piper exclaimed in disbelief, turning her head to look at the dark haired woman incredulously. "I mean, do you think she's going to murder me? Just how unstable is this Sylvia person?"

"It was a joke," Alex pressed with a chuckle, finally slipping her glasses onto the bridge of her nose.

"It was not a joke," Piper responded seriously. "It was a very clear message, 'I know what you did, bitch, and I want you to know that I know.'"

"Look," Alex sighed as she rolled onto her side to face the blonde, reaching out to cover Piper's hand with her own. "Being with you was my choice. I wasn't happy."

"And I took advantage of that?" A smile finally pulled at Piper's lips as she stared into Alex's green eyes, still somewhat sleepy and filled with something else that Piper couldn't quite define.

"I'm a grown up, Piper."

"Do you think she's going to come after me?" Piper asked seriously and Alex's expression became one of badly hidden amusement.

"Look, I think that she needed to get it out of her system," a hand came up to play with blonde locks as Alex gazed at her with twinkling eyes. "Sometimes you gotta rage in order to move on."

A pause, as Piper deliberated over her next question before deciding to take the plunge. "Did you love her?"

"No," Alex answered honestly after a moment of consideration, and the relief Piper felt was astronomical. And then suddenly, "But I love you."

Piper felt as if her heart was going to beat right out of her chest at those three simple words, words that she hadn't expected from the dark haired woman. She felt a smile slowly curl her lips as she continued to stare into Alex's eyes, and finally could define what she saw there; love. "You do?"

Alex's smile said more than words ever could and Piper felt the sudden urge to be closer to the dark haired woman. She pulled back the covers and slipped beneath them, snuggling closer to Alex who chuckled in response. Fingers gently caressed her face before covering the hand that Piper had laying between their bodies and the blonde lightly caressed Alex's chin with her thumb in return. God, she was so fucking beautiful.

"I don't say that to everyone," Alex said softly as they held each other's gaze, and Piper could see the woman beneath the tough facade, scared and vulnerable, staring back at her. "You have to say it back."

It was more of a plea than a command and despite the fact their relationship was still yet to be labeled, Piper had known how she felt for a long time.

"I love you too."


End file.
